This hike surprised us.   It starts on the Lake Minnewanka Road.   Turn off to the Upper Bankhead parking area.   Start at the trailhead sign.   The trail climbs through mixed forest up to the old C-Level mining area.   There are some derelict buildings and fenced mine shafts at the 1.1 km mark.   At 1.3 km (just past the coal tailings), take a right spur out to a  lookout point where you can see Lake Minnewanka and the Front Ranges.

The trail continues to switchback and climb through the forest.   At 3.9 km, it emerges into the cirque at the foot of a small pond (although it was dry when we were there).    Most people stop here, but even better views are found by following a narrow track on the right side which climbs to the highest point below the bluffs above.   From this point, you can see the rest of the Cirque, and a 270 degree view, including Banff, Mount Rundle, Mount Ingismaldie, the Spray Valley, and the Cascade Valley.

As we climbed, we spotted mountain goats above us.   As we neared, they proceeded to climb the almost sheer slopes above, with two kids in tow.   We watched them, but soon realized our position when several large boulders came hurtling down.  We turned to face the barrage and dodged the rocks, some of which would have been instantly fatal.   We did take a couple of hits with smaller rocks and hurriedly went back down to the trees.   We hiked to the top just to be faced with Killer Goats!

A recommended hike, but watch out for the wildlife…:)